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Retirement Lifestyle
Planning For Happiness
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During our working years, time is our scarcest resource.
Retirement lifestyle planning will enable you to finally
create the work-life balance you want to have.
Work-Life Balance?
You may wonder why I used the term work-life. Well, in doing your
retirement lifestyle planning, you may decide to include
some time for work you enjoy doing while still giving
you time for the more important things in your life -
family, friends, relaxation, etc.
You will be free to be yourself and do what you want to
do.
You probably will not want to work all the time. Perhaps
a few months on and then a few months off would fit well
with the plan for travel and adventure - mixing work and
leisure.
Life Expectancy Is
Increasing
For baby boomers especially, the life expectancy in retirement will
be the longest it has ever been. The average is
projected to be in the mid 80's.
I just saw a news clip about a 101 year old man training to run a
marathon. People beginning to retire now can look
forward to possibly another 30 to 40 years. That gives
us about the same amount of time we had to work in our
careers. This means retirement lifestyle planning is
essential to make that time the most enjoyable.
People starting to retire now find themselves in what is called the
'sandwich' generation. The previous generation is living
longer also. We are in between responsibilities for
children and responsibilities for caring for our
parents.
How Do You Want To Spend
Your Time?
Retirement lifestyle planning is critical because today we prefer
an active lifestyle over the passive lifestyle of
previous generations. Here are a few questions to get
you thinking about the lifestyle you want in retirement
...
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What did you always want to do with your
life?
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What do you want to accomplish in your life?·
How do you want to be remembered?
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What motivates you?
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How would you spend your time if money was
not an issue?
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Do you want to learn new skills?
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How about learning new skills?
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Would you like to obtain a degree?
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Do you want to travel to new countries that
you have not seen?
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Would you like to learn to play a musical
instrument?
·
How about turning your hobby into a new
business?
There are no right answers. It is totally up to you. You
are in control. Your creativity, developed by your
unique life's experiences, is a key ingredient to help
you do you retirement lifestyle planning.
In What Type Of Home Do
You Want To Live?
Life after work for most people, will generally be maintaining
their independence. You can buy (or build) a home with a
universal home design. A universal home design is
appealing to the younger generation as well as
convenient for the older generations. Or, you can do
things to your existing home to make your home more
liveable as you become older.
One easy and inexpensive thing you can do is to change the door
knobs to easier-to-use levers. We have already done this
on some our doors and it really makes it easier. The
same idea is good for bathtub and sink faucets.
When planning for retirement, you should remember simple things,
such as, entering and exiting a bathtub, which can
become unsafe. Consider a walk
in bathtub
to bathe safely, comfortably, and most
importantly, at home.
You may arrange to have a home office and an exercise room all on
the main level. You will want easy accessibility should
you need to be in a wheelchair later down the road -
ramps, wider doorways, etc.
Do You Want To Travel and
Expand Your Knowledge?
You may need to travel to determine where you want to settle and
live through your retirement years. It's best to try
several areas before making a decision. You may decide
that your best option is to stay right where you are.
Evaluating other potential places helps you make an
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Who’s
Feeding
Our Toddlers?
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New data shows that 30% of toddler meals provided by
carers other than parents
‘Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers’
launched to help parents, carers and healthcare
professionals share the task of feeding toddlers.
A new survey from the Infant & Toddler Forum
shows that British parents rely on a complex support
network – including nurseries, childminders,
grandparents and extended family – all of whom play an
important role in feeding their toddlers. In fact, the
survey shows that the average toddler typically has
almost 30% of their meals provided by people
other than their parents.
This may not be a big surprise given the nature of our
modern lifestyle, but it may affect the wellbeing of
toddlers if the quality and quantity of meals provided
are inconsistent and unbalanced and if positive
attitudes to food and exercise are not systematically
encouraged.
Most parents and carers are keen to do the best for
toddlers and through education, it may possible to
address the cycle of poor nutrition by empowering
parents and carers to make informed choices. The Infant
& Toddler Forum believes that the ‘Ten Steps’ will go
some way to achieving this.
The survey shows that parents are often anxious that
those who look after their toddlers are not providing
healthy food choices with over one third of
parents concerned that their toddlers may not be getting
healthy, balanced meals. Of these, 50% say that
their toddlers are given too many treats.
Providing toddlers with a healthy start has become a
public health priority because not only do toddlers need
a healthy balanced diet to thrive, but the foods they
learn to like in their early years can help shape eating
habits that influence their health in later life. Good
eating habits can help
prevent serious health problems, including obesity,
heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers
is available for download from
www.littlepeoplesplates.co.uk
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Ruby Saddles Up For the
Charity Trek Of A Lifetime
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Ruby with her horse on the Iceland trek
Intrepid adventurer, Ruby
Grimshaw, from Brighton, had the
trip of a lifetime in Iceland
last month in August on a
six-day horse trek in aid of the
Brooke - the UK’s leading
charity for hardworking horses,
donkeys and their owners
overseas.
The trek saw 70 year-old Ruby
and 15 other participants rode
past steaming
waterfalls, green valleys and the
majestic Snæfellsjökull
volcano as they travelled
through Snæfellsnes peninsula
National Park from
August 14 – 21.
Ruby, who writes a column in
Brighton’s weekly magazine
‘Latest 7’, has been a dedicated
supporter of the Brooke for over
15 years and has previously
taken part in four other
expeditions to Egypt, India,
Kenya and Jordan.
Ruby says, “Iceland is
a country I have never been to
but I have heard a lot about - I
cannot imagine 24 hours of
daylight. I am particularly
excited about herding the
Icelandic horses which look so
small and cuddly in comparison
to their UK counterparts. I have
long supported the Brooke
which does a unique job in
providing vital veterinary care
for working horses and donkeys
as well as education for their
owners – I am proud to be a
dedicated supporter of this
wonderful charity”.
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By taking part Ruby and the
other participants will be
helping to improve the lives of
hard working horses, donkeys and
mules in some of the world’s
poorest communities. Many of
these animals toil for up to 12
hours a day in unbearable
conditions. Via mobile
veterinary teams, the Brooke
ensures animals are healthy,
happy and fit for work, thus
also maintaining the livelihoods
of the millions of poor people
who rely on them. And, by taking
the time to educate and train
owners on how to properly care
for their animals – the Brooke
continues to improve animal
welfare throughout communities.
Charlotte Simmonds, the Brooke’s
Community Fundraising Manager
says, ‘It’s great to see Ruby
taking the reigns once again by
participating in our Icelandic
Horse Trek. It’s set to be a
really exciting challenge,
taking participants through some
of the world’s most beautiful
landscapes. All the money Ruby raises will go a long way towards helping
hundreds of working horses and
donkeys in some of the poorest
parts of the world’.
The Brooke is the UK’s leading
overseas charity dedicated to
alleviating the suffering of
horses, donkeys and mules
working in the poorest parts of
the world, and improving the
lives of the people who depend
on them.
Millions of animals toil in some
of the world’s toughest
environments, but much of their
suffering is preventable. The
Brooke works directly via a
network of mobile vet teams,
field clinics and community
animal health workers, and
through partners, to provide
care and treatment in
conjunction with training to
promote good animal welfare
practices.
From humble beginnings in Cairo,
the Brooke has grown into an
international life saver,
reaching 800,000 animals every
year, across 11 countries. The
Brooke aims to improve the
welfare of at least two million
working horses, donkeys and
mules in the most need by 2016.
For more information about the
Brooke and how to get involved
visit www.thebrooke.org
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Tough
Psychological Problems for New
Retirees
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Funding retirement is only
one of future retirees’
worries, reveals Scottish
Widows
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Over a quarter (27%) of
retirees found the
transition from working life
to retirement difficult
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Over one in five (23%) of
those in retirement miss the
sense of structure which
comes from working life
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One in seven (15%) retirees
found having less of a
social life their greatest
challenge
With retirement on the horizon,
many people approaching
retirement will be thinking
about how they will fund their
golden years, but many don’t
consider the impact it will have
on them emotionally. New
research from Scottish Widows
reveals that it is just as
important to consider the
emotional and practical
implications of these lifestyle
changes as many will be in for a
shock when they reach
retirement, according to the
inaugural Retire-Easy report
just launched.
Whilst money worries were the
biggest challenge that retirees
faced after they finished
working (with 30% of people
stating that they did not have
enough money to enjoy their new
free time to the full) many
people also highlighted the
lifestyle challenges that came
with the transition. Faced with
a sudden lifestyle change, one
in seven (15%) retirees said
that one of the biggest
challenges they faced was coping
with their reduced social life
after leaving work.
Further to this, nearly a
quarter (23%) of retirees missed
the sense of structure in their
life that came with working,
leaving them at a loss of what
to do with all their free time,
and three in 10 (30%) found that
they simply didn’t have enough
money to fully enjoy their new
life. The research also showed
that men (18%) found the change
from working to retirement very
sudden compared to women (12%)
who seemed to be able to cope
better.
The psychological effects of
retirement are also a major
concern with 29% of retired men
stating that the transition from
working to retiring was hard to
deal with compared to 24% of
retired women who felt the same.
However, the expectations prove
to be worse than the reality
with over two fifths (43%) of
over 50’s expecting the
transition into retirement to be
harder than retirees actually
find it to be.
This added anxiety can be seen
in the increased concerns future
retirees have about the
challenges they will face when
they stop working including over
one in eight (13%) who won’t be
in good enough health to enjoy
their retirement, around one in
five (22%) who don’t want to
leave a job that they enjoy, and
a further one in eight (13%)
won’t know what to do with the
extra time on their hands.
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Biggest challenges
that are/will be
faced when you
retire |
Retirees |
Over 50s
yet to
retire |
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Not having enough
money to enjoy
retirement to the
full |
30% |
56% |
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Missing the sense of
structure in life
that comes with
working |
23% |
30% |
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Not being in good
enough health to
enjoy retirement |
17% |
13% |
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Enjoying their job
and not wanting to
stop working |
16% |
22% |
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Having less of a
social life |
15% |
8% |
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Finding the change
from working to
retirement very
sudden |
15% |
15% |
Alison
Morris, savings expert at
Scottish Widows said: “It is not
just the financial shift that
people have to prepare for when
they retire, but the lifestyle
change that comes with it. Many
people want to take it easy and
enjoy the free time they have
when they retire, but it is
important to understand that
retirement can be one of life’s
most significant transitions so
careful planning is crucial for
your well-being. A way to help alleviate the
financial stresses that over
half (56%) of over 50’s expect
to face when they retire is to
make sure they have adequate
savings to enjoy retirement to
the full.
Scottish
Widows recommends that you save
at least 12% of your salary from
age 30 to retirement age to
ensure you have an adequate
income in retirement.”
You can find out more about
retirement planning at ‘Your
little book of money 2010’ –
an independent guide to finance.
Available as a downloadable PDF
and via a new website at www.scottishwidows.co.uk/littlebook
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OAPs
Ivy & Lil Refuse To Retire, And Raise £25,000
For Charity Instead!
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It’s not every day that a couple of ladies in their 80’s Become
Superstar DJs with Groove Armada, Captain a Ship or Run
off and Join the Circus. But that’s exactly
what these OAPs from south London are doing this
summer, to raise £25,000 for charity!
Ivy & Lil,
81 and 86 respectively, have worked together as
sewing machinists since they left school at 15,
and have stitched and seamed at clothing company
White Stuff for 25 years. The girls have no
intention of retiring any time soon, and are
instead completing their lifelong dreams before
they reach their 100th birthday.
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Each of
their 25
Things will
raise £1,000 for the White Stuff Foundation, for
children’s charities across the UK.
They’ll be
working their way through their list of 25
Things, including:
>
Demolishing
a Building
>
Meeting their Heroes
>
Being
a Rock Star for a Day
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The New Age of
the Grandparent
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Under 25s most likely to be named after
grandparents
Under 35s closest to grandparents
Sixty
per cent of over 65s never knew grandparents
Thirty
per cent want to find a naval war hero in their
family
Grandparents
have never been so important for the younger
generation according to independent research by
Wood’s 100 Old Navy Rum.
The results
reveal that people in their twenties and
thirties revere and respect grandparents with
around three quarters of respondents saying
their grandfather was a hero. This compares to
just over a half of those aged over 65. Equally,
more than half of those under 25 are proud of
their grandfathers whereas less than a quarter
of people aged over 65 feel the same.
Nowadays it
seems that a quarter of under 25s feel they
don’t know their grandfather compared with 60
per cent of pensioners who admit they didn’t
know theirs at all.
The pride
the younger generation have for their elders is
shown in their commitment to name their own
offspring after their grandparents. More than
two-thirds of people aged under 35 are keen to
name their children after one or more of their
own parents – compared to just over two-fifths
of people over 65 that had considered or done
it.
Indeed 16 per cent of men in the survey by
Wood’s 100, a drink consumed most frequently by
an older generation, said that they felt it was
an important way to keep family history alive.
Women are particularly keen on the concept, only
12 per cent said they thought this custom was
irrelevant or outdated.
And it seems
many of us have a yearning for unearthing heroic
family secrets. When asked what they’d like to
dig up in their family tree, 30 per cent of
respondents opted for a naval war hero – the
most popular – followed by 20 per cent who said
they’d be keen to discover an inventor.
Alex Bilmes,
features editor of GQ and proud father of one
commented that the results are borne out in the
trend for more ‘old-fashioned’ names: “In an age
where we are leading lives increasingly apart
from our closest relatives it seems we hanker
more and more for family ties. There has been a
surge in interest in genealogy and people are
clearly keen to restore and retain links with
their family – however disparate they may be.”
Sarah Pace,
assistant brand manager at Wood’s 100 added:
“Our consumers are generally former sailors who
are now spending much of their free time looking
after their grandchildren and it’s heartening to
see the reverence with which they are held.”
Most Popular Boys’ Names in 2008
1 Jack
2 Oliver
3 Thomas
4 Harry
5 Joshua
6 Alfie
7 Charlie
8 Daniel
9 James
10
William |
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Default Retirement Age
'Phase Out' Is A Wake Up
Call To Savers
With the new coalition
Government's plans to phase out
the Default Retirement Age (DRA)
Friends Provident is stressing
the need for savers in the UK to
start planning ahead or face
working into their seventies.
Friends Provident argues the
change to the default retirement
age may very well make it easier
for people in the UK to work
longer but questions whether
that is really the best outcome
people can hope for. The
provider also cautions that a
proportion of the 'greying'
population may not in fact be
fit enough to work.
With the number of workers aged
55 plus expected to grow
significantly in the next 10
years (from 5.14 million to
7.16million according to the
Visions of Britain 2020 report)
Friends Provident is warning
that, although it is good news
for those who wish to work
longer, people should not use
this demographic trend as an
excuse to put off saving for
retirement.
Friends Provident's research –
Visions of Britain 2020, The
Workforce- showed 48% of workers
would like to work either full
or part-time beyond the
statutory retirement age but
warns workers should think twice
before relying on a longer
working career to fund their
retirement.
Martin Palmer, head of pensions
marketing at Friends Provident,
said:
"The concern is that by
abolishing the default
retirement age, we could be
opening up a whole new can of
worms. People need to be aware
of the reality of working
longer. As a nation we should
start seeing retirement as a
process in our lives and not a
one-off event.
"We need to provide the right
savings options to help enable
this and help employers foster a
suitable savings culture to
encourage people to start
investing in their future. More
flexible employee benefit
platforms can empower employees
to choose the savings products
right for their life goals and
by increasing engagement
encourage a bigger percentage of
the working population to start
making provision for later on in
life."
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September
2010 